Hypertext Webster Gateway: "fundamental"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Fundamental \Fun`da*men"tal\, a. [Cf. F. fondamental.]
Pertaining to the foundation or basis; serving for the
foundation. Hence: Essential, as an element, principle, or
law; important; original; elementary; as, a fundamental
truth; a fundamental axiom.
The fundamental reasons of this war. --Shak.
Some fundamental antithesis in nature. --Whewell.
{Fundamental bass} (Mus.), the root note of a chord; a bass
formed of the roots or fundamental tones of the chords.
{Fundamental chord} (Mus.), a chord, the lowest tone of which
is its root.
{Fundamental colors}, red, green, and violet-blue. See
{Primary colors}, under {Color}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Fundamental \Fun"da*men`tal\, n.
A leading or primary principle, rule, law, or article, which
serves as the groundwork of a system; essential part, as, the
fundamentals of the Christian faith.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
fundamental
adj 1: serving as an essential component; "a cardinal rule"; "the
central cause of the problem"; "an example that was
fundamental to the argument"; "computers are
fundamental to modern industrial structure" [syn: {cardinal},
{central}, {key}, {primal}]
2: being or involving basic facts or principles; "the
fundamental laws of the universe"; "a fundamental
incompatibility between them"; "these rudimentary truths";
"underlying principles" [syn: {rudimentary}, {underlying}]
3: far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect especially on the
nature of something; "the fundamental revolution in human
values that has occurred"; "the book underwent fundamental
changes"; "committed the fundamental error of confusing
spending with extravagance"; "profound social changes"
[syn: {profound}]
n : the lowest tone of a harmonic series [syn: {fundamental
frequency}, {first harmonic}]
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